Master Mike
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mastermike7000.bsky.social
Master Mike
@mastermike7000.bsky.social
380 followers 120 following 120 posts
Lover of photography, nature, dogs, movies & games. Senior community manager for Slug Disco - developers of Empires of the Undergrowth & publishers of nature games. Views very much my own.
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mastermike7000.bsky.social
Stairway to Autumn.

#BlueSkyArtShow #photography #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #autumn #autumnvibes #fallvibes
Rough stone steps, fairly tall, and covered in green lichens and moss. There's a large tree to either side, the left side having visible roots. Out-of-focus autumn foliage is in the foreground. The background is bare autumnal trees and sky, with the sun filtering through.
November 7, 2025 at 8:20 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Autumn is the best season. Finally cool enough to walk for miles, the gold and the red. A gentle shower here and there. The promise of cosy nights. Coffee.

#BlueSkyArtShow #photography #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #autumn #autumnvibes #fallvibes
A closeup of a golden autumn leaf, yet to fall on a tree that is mostly bare. An out-of-focus autumnal wooded area is in the background.
November 6, 2025 at 9:23 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Out with the new superzoom for the first time - it's perfect for 90% of my photography.

Despite always having gone for fast lenses, whenever I do landscape I always stop down to f/8 or more anyway.

Just makes so much sense to carry one light lens that does it all.

#photography #landscape
A warm sunset scene of autumn trees casting their shadows on grass. The sun is behind the trees, directly in front of the camera, creating a glow. A sunset panorama of some farmland. It's warm, the trees are losing their foliage, and the sun is just about to go below the horizon. A shot of a fence in some farmland, in the evening just as the sun is about to dip below the horizon. A footpath sign post is on the left hand side. A stony surface is visible in the foreground, a little out of focus. A mobile phone mast dominates this vertical twilight shot, with a tree to the right of it. A dry stone wall is in front of both and grass is in front of that. A small building is to the extreme left. The moon is clearly visible near the centre of the image.
November 2, 2025 at 8:46 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
New lens day! As I gravitate more to landscape, this super sharp (but relatively slow) superzoom makes so much sense for a daily carry lens.

#sigmalens #sonyalpha #photography #gear #lenses #landscapephotography
November 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Hey let's just take the dog for a quick stroll.... er, maybe later
October 31, 2025 at 3:47 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A classic view over Matlock Bath from the Heights of Abraham, Derbyshire.

Sony A7IV, Sigma 28-105 @ 28, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 100

#landscape #photography #nature #autumnvibes #onlybeautifulthings #peakdistrict #derbyshire #sonyalpha #sigmalens
A sunny view over a valleyedvillage - roads, houses and cars are visible. Dense, autumn-coloured woodland is on either side. In the distance taller hills are visible. The sun is in the top left of the pictrure, with a blue sky and light to moderate clouding.
October 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Post 100!

Here's my beloved Tes very kindly indulging me on a walk to a high place.

#photography #landscape #onlybeautifulthings #nature #godrays #staffordshire #moorlands #peakdistrict #dogs #whippets #lurchers
A black-furred whippet-type dog sitting in the foreground. He's old and has white fur around his muzzle and eyes. He's sat on large stones, which open up to farmland stretching to the horizon. A beam of light - a "god ray" - is breaking the otherwise overcast lighting and illuminating a small portion of the background.
October 17, 2025 at 12:28 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
An unusually pretty god ray in the view from The Roaches on the borders of the Peak District, Staffordshire yesterday. I was expecting boring overcast lighting - just get out there!

#photography #landscape #onlybeautifulthings #nature #godrays #staffordshire #moorlands #peakdistrict
A beam of sun in an otherwise overcast sky illuminating fields. There are some similar beams in the background. A reservoir can be seen in the distance. In the foregreound, heather is surrounded by rocks on both sides.
October 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
This certainly captures the mood of Ramshaw Rocks when I visited last weekend! It was definitely worth getting up there in spite of the weather - I don't think I could have hoped for moodier pics.

#sonyalpha #sigmalens #rocks #autumn #landscape #peakdistrict #staffordshire
Ramshaw Rocks on the borders of the Peak District. The photo shows a patch of grass in the foreground, then a footpath leading up to a rocky outcropping. It's moody, dark and rainy. The colours are autumnal.
October 11, 2025 at 10:55 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A gentle waterfall in Longshaw Estate, close to Padley Gorge and the home of some beautiful ancient oak woodland.

Sony A7IV, Sigma 28-105, f/10 1/5s, ISO 100

#landscape #waterfall #waterfallphotography #autumn #autumnvibes #rain #nature #landscapephotography #natureisbeautiful #peakdistrict
A small waterfall flowing over rocks in an autumnal scene. The waterfall appears to start from a wall about two thirds from the bottorm of the image, and cascades into a pool close to the camera. Various trees are visible in the background and brown and golden leaves are on the floor.
October 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
The view immediately out of the upper cavern tour at the Heights of Abraham, in Matlock Bath. This panorama is gigantic and I doubt Bluesky's compression will do it justice!

Sigma 28-105, f/10, 1/160s, ISO 100

#photography #landscape #panorama #autumn #sonyalpha #sigmalens
The view immediately out of the upper cavern tour at the Heights of Abraham, in Matlock Bath.
October 8, 2025 at 7:46 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A closeup of the best mushroom from the shot I took in Padley Gorge. Particularly happy with the lighting - LED panels helped in the gloom of Storm Amy.

Fun fact - Padley Gorge is the most inland example of a temperate rainforest in the UK!

#mycology #fungi #FungiFriends #mushrooms #forests
A beige-brown toadstool - most likely a species of webcap - is featured prominently. It is surrounded by moss, browned oak leaves and water. The light is warm from the front and cold from behind (it is lit with LED panels). Another toadstool of the same species is out of focus in the foreground, to the front and right.
October 6, 2025 at 1:40 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
The dramatic skies created by #StormAmy more than made up for the dousing we got over the weekend on our photo trip! This view from Curbar Edge over the Derwent Valley made me glad to be alive, active and present.

#landscape #photgraphy #onlybeautifulthings #peakdistrict #skies #storm #sonyalpha
A view of the villages of the Derwent valley, taken from the Curbar Edge escarpent. Dramatic skies are present with "god rays" as sunlight breaks through gaps in the clouds to illuminate rays of precipitation, also illuminating the vivid green of the early autumn grass.
October 5, 2025 at 11:03 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Enchanted mushrooms. Fun with a Tamron macro lens, a couple of LED panels and a soaking wet temperate rainforest! 🍄🍄🍄🍄

#natureisbeautiful #macrophotography #onlybeautifulthings #fungus #mushrooms #fungifriends #photography #fungi
A group of four mushrooms growing on a decaying oak log with moss and acorns around them.
October 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Let's get a little love for one of the less traditionally endearing #inverts - the humble slug (Arion ater).

They may have a nibble of your lettuce, but they're a vital part of the ecosystem and very pretty in their own right.

#natureisbeautiful #macrophotography #onlybeautifulthings #photography
A large black slug (Arion ater) displaying orange markings and a mottled, scale-like appearance
September 29, 2025 at 8:14 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
This garden spider (Araneus diadematus) shows off why they truly are known as the crowned spider in this macro closeup.

#BlueSkyArtShow #spiders #arachnids #photography #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #macro #macrophotography
A closeup of the abdomen of a European garden spider, clearly showing the crown-like markings. The image is predominantly a golden brown and lit from the left hand side.
September 22, 2025 at 9:52 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A sheet weaver spider, about 6 millimetres acrosss, with its rough-spun web hoping to catch some prey in time for the imminent mating season.

#natureisbeautiful #macrophotography #onlybeautifulthings #arachnids #spiders #photography
A sheet weaver spider against a Brassica leaf. The underside of the spider is facing the camera.
September 15, 2025 at 12:52 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A metallic flea beetle, just a couple of millimetres across.

#natureisbeautiful #macrophotography #onlybeautifulthings #insects #beetles #photography
A macro photograph of a metallic green flea beetle against a fibreglass backdrop
September 14, 2025 at 11:11 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
This garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is currently residing in my open office window. Pretty thing, very welcome to stay as long as it wants.

#BlueSkyArtShow #spiders #arachnids #photography #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #macro #macrophotography
A macro photograph of a garden spider, orange-brown in colour, with a cross-shaped marking on its back. The spider is on a web, pointing downwards. Eyes are visible.
July 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
An adult ladybird beetle nestles by itself on a leaf, in the early morning. Warming up to meet a day of chasing aphids and potential mates.

#BlueSkyArtShow #beetles #photography #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #insects #macro #macrophotography
A macro photograph of a seven-spotted ladybird beetle sunning itself in the centre of a leaf. Green grasses and other plants surround the central beetle and leaf. The leaf is partially ragged on the right-hand side. Bright sunlight is clearly illuminating the shot from the right.
July 7, 2025 at 1:29 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A red soldier beetle sits on grass, perhaps waiting for a mate. Tiny, but very visible this time of year if you're looking.

#BlueSkyArtShow #sideways
#beetles #photography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersofBluesky #onlybeautifulthings #photohour #thelittlethings #insects #macro #macrophotography
A red soldier beetle, Rhagonycha fulva, sitting on a grass ear. The beetle is long, with red colouration with black features too. The ear and the beetle are pointed east, right-to-left. It's a macro photograph lit with a camera flash.
July 5, 2025 at 7:21 AM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
This larval ladybird beetle is on a mission to acquire enough protein to begin its pupal stage - once it does so, it'll attach itself to a leaf and an extraordinary transformation will occur.

#insects #ladybirds #ladybugs #beetles #macro #photography #nature #entomology
A ladybird beetle larva against a green leaf
June 27, 2025 at 10:22 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
Tucked away under a blade of grass, a ladybird undergoes a fascinating and extreme transformation. The pupa stirs.

Soon, it will emerge as a fearsome beetle - bane of aphids, friend of gardeners.

#insects #ladybirds #ladybugs #beetles #macro #photography #nature #entomology
A ladybird beetle pupa under a blade of grass. The grass blade and another in the background form a sort of X-shape.
June 25, 2025 at 11:32 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
A 7-spot ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, with a drop of dew in the morning. They are emerging in great numbers in the humid, hot conditions we've had recently - and it was lovely to see so many.

#insects #ladybirds #ladybugs #beetles #macro #photography #entomology #macrophotography
A 7-spot ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, sat on a leaf. A 7-spot ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, sat on a leaf. The beetle is directly facing the camera.
June 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM
mastermike7000.bsky.social
This ladybird beetle had just emerges from its pupal stage to begin its adult life. Over the next few days, it will turn red and harden.

Sony A7IV, TTArtisans 100mm 2x macro, f/8, 1/250s, ISO 100, Godox V860III flash

#insects #ladybirds #ladybugs #beetles #macro #photography #nature #entomology
A bright, spotless, yellow-coloured ladybird on the left next to its own pupal casing on the right. The pupal casing is brown and wrinkly, and spotted. It's on a green leaf. Lit from above by a diffuse camera flash.
June 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM